Internal-combustion engine.



H. G. GIPFARD.

INTERNAL OOMBUSTION ENGINE.

1X APPLICATION FILED APR.28. 1905. 1f/J fe /y/ BARIUM oxlns SUCTION I UMP UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARDINGE GOULBOURN GIFFARD, (commonly called Viscount TIVER- TON,) gentleman, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 4 Ennismore Gardens, in the county of London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements Relating to Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal-combustion engines'working with gas or vaporized oil or spirit; and it has for its-object improvements whereby explosions of greater intensity may. be advantageously obtained.

Hitherto it has been usual to mix air with the fuel (gas or vaporized hydrocarbon) in order to make the explosive mixture, and as nearly eighty per cent. of the air is nitrogen an excessive amount of air must be used in order to`idtroduce a sufficient quantity of oxygen for complete combustion of the fuel. The result of this is that even with compression the combustible mixture can never become very much concentrated before it is ignited.

According to the present invention, means are provided whereby pure or nearly pure oxygen may be supplied to the engine in'place of air. Tubes or other receptacles for barium oxid are employed, placed so that they can be heated to any required extent. They may, for instance, be placed in or around the exhaust-silencer or the exhaust-box. Two pumps are provided, one for forcing air under pressure and the -other for exhausting the tubes after the barium oxid therein has been oxidized. Two or more sets of barium-oxid receptacles should be employed, with means whereby they may be alternately and successively connected to and disconnected from the air-forcing apparatus and the exhausting-pump, which supplies oxygen to the engine.

In use air is pumped alternately or successively through the barium-oxid receptacles under such conditionsof pressure and temperature that the monoxid absorbs oxygen and becomes peroxid. For supplying oxygen to the engine the temperature or pressure conditions, or both, are so changed that the peroxid gives up oxygen and becomes reconverted to monoxid, the liberated oxygen being drawn into the carbureters for making the combustible mixture. A richer mixture Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 28,1905. 4Serial No. 257.8405@ Patented May 15, 1906.

ble matter in proportion to its mass or volume than can ordinarily be obtained, with the result that a more intense explosion will take place, greater heat will be developed,

and greater relative expansion may be allowed to take place with the production of useful work.

In the accompanying drawing an illustration is given of a four-cylinder engine connected with apparatus for the production and supply of oxygen. The engine and other parts of theapparatus are not illustrated in detail, as the drawing is intended as a diagram only. The details of construction of such apparatus and the exact proportionsof the parts thereof can be worked out by an engineer of ordinary ability fromv known data.

The cylinders of the engine (seen in plan) are designated by the letter a, the carbureters by b, and the exhaust-valves by c. A pipe d leads from the exhaust-valves toa casing e, wherein are arranged tubes f, containing barium oxid. The tubes are illustrated as bent or coiled in order to bring a sufficient len th of tubing within reasonable compass, an deflectors or baiiles g are shown xed in staggered relation one to another in the casing e in order to cause the exhaust-gases to pass well over the tubes f and to heat the v same 1n an efficient manner. yIn practice it will be preferable that the two tubes should be arranged as close to one another as is conveniently possible, because in the oxidizmg and reduclng actions which take place the amount of heat evolved in one tube tends to be equal to theheat absorbed in the other. Outlet-openings h at the end of the casing e serve for permitting the escape of the gases. A four-'way cock i has two of its passages connected to the two tubes fa`third passage is connected by a pipe 7c to an air-pump l, while the fourth is connected through a small pressure-equalizing chamber m to an ex-` exhausting or suction pump o. The pump o discharges into a storage-chamber' n, from which a pipe leads tothe carbureters b. At the' ends o the tubes f-.remote from the cock i are arranged small spring-held escapement-valves g, which will allow air or gas to escape from said'tubes after a pressure has vIoo been attained therein suiiicient under the co'nditions of temperature to cause the barium monoxid in the tubes to take up oxygen from the air and to become converted to peroxid. r is a chamber containing soda-lime or other materials capable of removing carbonio-acid gas and moisture from air, sa1d chamber belng connected with the pump Z through a nonreturn valve s. The carbureters b have inlet-valves t opening into the air. The barium oxid may be inserted in the tubes f in any suitable way, but preferably in the form of powder or small grains not completely filling the tubes.

the air-supplyin sufficient for this purpose.

oxid has alread The operation of this device takes place substantially in the manner above indicated. Air freed from moisture and carbonio acid in the chamber r reaches the pump l and is forced under pressure into one or other of the tubes f through the cock i, and as said tube is heated by the exhaust-gases assing over it the barium oxid contained t erein absorbs oxygen andl becomes converted to a greaterv or less extent into barium peroxid. Meanwhile the other tube f, wherein the barium been oxidized, is in communication wit the exhausting-pump o, which so reduces the pressure in said tube that the peroxid again gives up its oxygen, this latter being fed by the pump o to storagechamber n and thence to the carbureters b. 'I he cock 'i is turned at suitable intervals of time to connect the tubes alternately with and the exhausting apparatus, respective y. Many different forms of mechanical contrivances Well known in other types of machinery might be used for effecting the turning of the cock but it is preferable that the device should be one actuated from the shaft of the engine in order that the change from one tube to the other should be made after a certain number of strokes of the engine. The pumps Z and o should also be operated directly or indirectly from the engine-shaft. During starting of the engine and before any considerable uantity of oxyen has been generated thel c inders can take 1n air for making the coin ustible mixture through the valves t; but as oxygen is generated it will gradually replace the air until the mixture ma be entirely composed of oxygen and fuel if t e amount of barlum oxid used is As the amount of oxygen sup lied increases the feed of fuel should also e increased by the usual means in order to make an eflicient combustible mixture.

The casing e, arranged in the manner illustrated might serve as an exhaust-silencer, and all the exhaust-gases'might be passed through it. It will be understood, however, that a separate exhaust box or silencer might be em loyed orl that a part of the gases while the remainder of said gases would be used for heating the barium-oxid tubes.

It must be-remembered that the drawing is intended to be in large measure diagrammatic and that the apparatus could be constructed and arranged in many different ways, according to circumstances. Evidently there might be several sets of tubes or receptacles for barium oxid, controlled by one or more cocks, such as i, and the said tubes or receptacles might contain chemical substances or materials other than barium oxid capable of absorbing and delivering oxygen from air under similar yconditions to those above described. Where barium oxid is used, there may be added thereto smallpercentages of chemical reagents capable of accelerating the evolution of oxygen by a form of catalytic action. by reducing nickel and cobalt oxids are believed to exert such an action. The air fed to the tubes might be subjected to a preliminary heating in suitable coils, which might also be arranged in the casing e, and the oxygen evolved from the barium peroxid might be reheated in a similar manner before it -is supplied to the carbureters. Moreover, although it is one of the features of this invention that the heat of the gases of combustion, which would Aotherwise be wasted, should be utilized in the barium-oxid tubes, it will be evident that, if desirable or convenient under certain conditions, the heat for-said apparatus mi ht be derived from other sources.

t is one of the'objects of this invention to enable an internalcombustion engine of given size to develop more power than has been possible hitherto, which will be especially advantageous in the engines of motorvehicles or in engines ap lied to other uses where it is im ortant to eep the weight as small as possible'consistently with good working. .According to the size of the oxygengenerating apparatus used, said apparatus may sup ly either sufficient oxygen only to enrich t e usual mixture or suiiicient to completely form the mixture with the combustlble liquid or gas employed.

What I claim is- 1. The combination with an internal-com bustion engine of two separate receptacles each contalning a chemical substance capable of oxidation and reduction, a casing surrounding said receptacles, means for conveying the waste gases of the engine to said casing, means for supplying air to said receptacles alternately and for allowing gases to pass out from the receptacles, means for reducing the pressure in said receptacles alternately, and means for supplying evolved oxygen to the intake ofthe engine.

2. The combination with an internal-combustion engine of an apparatus containing a might e allowed to escape throughasilencer, 1 chemical substance which is capable of oxi- The materials obtained IOO (iation and reduction, a casing and means for In testimony whereof I have signed my conveying the Waste gases of the engine to name to this specification in the presence of 1o said casifng, Wheraby the apparatus is heated, two subscribing Witnesses.

means or supp ying air mtermittent y to said apparatus, means for withdrawing as HARDINGE GOULBOURN GIFFARD' from sald a paratus, and means for supp y- Witnesses:

ing the evo ved gas to the'intake of the en- GILBERT MAXWELL ADAIR GRAHAM, gine. LEONARD EDMUND HAYNEs. 

